Karthaus man gets 5 years in prison after dog shooting

A Karthaus man who shot his dog and left it to die in a field will spend five years in state prison on a felony gun charge in the case.

Barry Grove, 57, was sentenced Thursday to serve five to 10 years in state prison stemming from an incident in March in which he shot his dog, Annie, in a neighbor’s yard and dumped it behind his home, leaving it to die.

Prosecutors said the dog was found alive by police almost an hour and a half after the shooting. The animal was wounded and suffering, forcing police to euthanize it.

Grove was not to be in possession of a firearm because of his prior criminal history, prosecutors said.

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A neighbor told investigators the dog was friendly and would frequently walk over to the neighboring home and play. Annie was at the neighbor’s window a few moments before the shooting, which occurred when Grove returned home, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the neighbor heard the dog crying for about 20 minutes, but was afraid to go the pet, because Grove had fired a shot.

Grove initially pleaded guilty to the gun charge in September, but later asked to withdraw his plea in October, according to court records.

He was represented by attorney Joe Amendola, who could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

Grove was found guilty last month in a trial before Centre County Judge Bradley P. Lunsford.

Parks Miller said prosecutors were happy with the state sentence imposed against Grove.

“This felon should have never had this firearm in his hands, period,” District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller said in a statement.